Brendan will go down as Hoops great
NEIL Lennon has urged Celtic fans to remember the good times under Brendan Rodgers rather than rage at the manner of his departure.
The stand-in boss has seen the furious backlash against his predecessor for walking out on the treble treble bid to go to Leicester.
But Lennon said: “There is a lot of emotion, a lot of spontaneous reaction.
“You can understand the soreness but what we have to remember is what he did for the club and the legacy he’s left.
“When people take a step back and look in the cold light of day, he is up there with the greatest with what he has brought to the club in terms of success and enjoyment.
“I understand there is agitation there. But from a personal point of view, I wish him all the very best because I know him very well. And I know the club do as well. We have to move on now.
“Will time heal it? Of course. It’s all very sudden and that suddenness has made people react in the way they have. The timing might not have been perfect but he has made a career decision and it has to be respected.
“It’s not forgotten what he has done here. They had incredible days and really, really good memories.”
Lennon has been in contact with Rodgers BY MICHAEL GANNON and he insisted there is no hard feelings from within the club.
He said: “We texted each other the other day and I will give him a call when things settle down.
“He wished me the best and vice versa. I know what Leicester is like. It’s a fantastic club.”
Lennon took training at Lennoxtown yesterday but he admits there’s no time to waste in getting everyone on board ahead of tonight’s Scottish Cup clash.
He said: “You don’t want to do too much with them because of the fatigue factor from Wednesday. But they’re a really good bunch and it must be difficult for them, having had such a huge influential figure like Brendan around then all of a sudden that’s gone.
“You’re looking for a little bit of a comedown and it might come eventually. But hopefully we can buy the time between the Hibs and Aberdeen games for that to happen.”
Lennon is gearing up for a quickfire return to Easter Road less than a month since his departure. He said: “I know the Hibs players very well. Paul Heckingbottom might be playing a different way but they are not going to change in the three weeks since I’ve seen them.
“I know most of the teams and have inside knowledge on them that will hopefully help.”